Jim, this poem was meant as a sort of tribute to the short men in my life--teachers, friends, and the short man I have been with for the past 57 years. For what it's worth, I always thought Randy Newman's "Short People" was hilarious. I'm glad to hear that you did not think I was discriminating against tall men, at least once you read my comments. I'd love to read more poems that take a hard look at the heightism in our society.
Marshall, I intended people to read an anapest in S1L3, not assume that "easier" had two syllables. Thanks for the suggestion about the meter in S2L1. I see what you mean. I have tried rewriting the line to make the meter clearer. I am writing a roundel here, which is a fixed form, so I don't want to add "I like short men" to S2.
Martin, the form is a roundel, invented by Swinburne. I have written a number of them. I don't expect my argument to go over well with everyone. The poem is more in the argument line than in the image-and-metaphor line.
Susan
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